Snowboarding is a relatively new sport that is growing rapidly in popularity. It combines some of the skills and techniques of both snow skiing and surf boarding, i.e., a snowboard is constructed and shaped similarly to a surfboard, although smaller, and has bindings similar to those used to secure skis to the feet of the user and is used similarly to the way a single ski would be used to ski on snow.
For safety and convenience, the snowboard is tethered to the leg of the snowboarder by a short strap or tether that remains attached when the snowboard is being ridden as well as when the snowboarder is riding a chair lift back to the top of a slope. This tether serves to support and suspend the snowboard from the leg of the snowboarder while riding the chair lift, and serves to secure the snowboard to the snowboarder and prevent it from sliding uncontrolled down a slope in the event of a fall.
Snowboards are relatively heavy, however, weighing as much as twenty pounds or more, and exert considerable force on the leg of the snowboarder while riding a chair lift. During the course of a day, this weight leads to fatigue and soreness and reduces enjoyment of the sport.
Accordingly, there is need for a device that will not only tether a snowboard to the snowboarder for reasons of safety while the snowboard is being ridden, but that will also serve to support the snowboard in a way to prevent fatigue when the snowboarder is riding a chair lift or the like.